CRIME ON THE CONTINENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 71, 24 March 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

CRIME ON THE CONTINENT.

COUNTESS TARNOWSKA—A RUSSIAN DELILAH.

(By HORACE WYNDHAM, Author of "Judicial Dramas," etc.)

The Countess Marie Tarnowska was the iSauprhter of Count O'Rourke, a man of Irish descent, who had long settled in Rutwia; and her mother was an aunt of Prince Troubetzkoi. Tall and slender in figure, with a delicate complexion and wealth of golden hair, she had no lack of admirers. The most persistent of theni was her cousin, Prince Troubetzkoi, who, «n her sixteenth birthday, went to her father and formally requested the honour •f becoming his son-in-law.

Tho Count expressed himself as delighted, and readily pledged his daughter's agreement. When, however, he told her that she Mas to marry the Prince she flatly refused even to consider such a step. Further, she declared that, when she did marry, her choice would be Vassily Tarnowska, a notorious profligate and libertine, whose amours were a byword in the half-worlds of Moscow and St. Petersburg. A year later, she eloped with him.

After a suitable interval, the Countess Tarnowska (as she had thus become) preaentcd her husband with a son. Fatherhood sat lightly on him, for he did not alter his habits. If anything, indeed, the «afw and restaurants, and their feminine clientele, saw still more of him. Suddenly, however, he resolved to go to Italy, his estenxible objeet being to study singing. For thia purpose, he required, he Baid, a master. It also appeared that he required a mistress. At any rate, he had one. In fact, he had several. Here, a baroness from Berlin: there, a dancing-girl, from Vienna; aad «omewhere else, an actress from Milan. Amours anil Adventures. Mario Tarnowska seems to have had. all Hie qualities of a Dclikh, with a touch of Mwsalina added. Although brought up atnid the snows of Russia, her heart was a warm one. Where the opposite sex was ieoncerned, the tale of her amours included army officers, governors of provinces, diplomatists, and occupants of high posts in the civil service. All who possessed rank and money were eligible for her favours. The first to come under the siren's minister spell was Alexis Bozevsky, a handsome young officer of the Czar's bodyguard. Marie fired him with a fierce paaaion. Ho visited her almost daily; he •pent long houys in her society; and when he wae absent he poured out his devotion in warm, throbbing letters. Vassily began by regarding liim with amused tolerance. Then he developed jealousy, for, from letters which he intercepted, he discovered that dashing Alexis was becoming ■omething more than a "friend" to Mb young wife. The furious husband took the only steps that, from a Russian standpoint, were compatible with his position. Tha first one was to instruct his lawyers to apply for a divorce; and the second one was to put a bullet into the man who had supplanted him.

Bereft of her husband, her children, and lur lover, Marie Tarnowska went to Moscow. There, in May, 1903, a fresh yictim swam into her orbit. This was Donat Prilukoff, a wealthy solicitor. At the time she met him Marie was fcearly penniless. The lawyer, however, •oon remedied this Btate of affairs. Of course there was a condition attached to kit assistance. No difficulty was made in complying with it; and, before long, Marie Tarnowska had, in her own words, ''yielded herself body and soul" to her new iriend. Still, Prilukoff kept to liis part of the contract, and showered on her the luxury for which she craved. As she had extravagant ideas, she craved for a great deal. To satisfy them, the other left his wife and threw up his career. He then fled from Russia; and, with the Countess for a travelling companion, visited France, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Algeria.

During this hectic period, and while she was despoiling the Moscow lawyer of everything he could give her, Marie embarked upon a fresh intrigue. This was with Count Kamarowsky, a widow, whose acquaintance she made in Warsaw. He wu a man of wealth and position. Before rile had done with him, he was to sacrifice both, also his life.

The Countess' next amorous adventure Was to go off to the Riviera with her new admirer. She was, however, reckoning without the Moscow lawyer, for he followed the pair. Forcing himself upon Marie, he calmly told her that he could not return to Russia, since he had embezzled from his clients the money he had •pent in providing her with luxuries.

A Foul Conspiracy. Marie Tarnowska had no remorse in her ftompositioa. "She had, however, a healthy terror of the police, and of arrest for her riiare in Prilukoff's villainy. Accordingly, she agreed to his "terms." These were to let Kamarowsky think she would marry him as soon as her divorce was settled, and also to persuade him to insure his life in her favour. Having done this, he was to be "got rid of." "And then?"

"Oh, then, my dear, you will marry me, •d we will draw the insurance money." Either Marie Tarnowska must have sank to a very dreadful depth, or else Prihjkoff exercised a hypnotic effect over Iwr. It sounds incredible, but she actually fell in with this proposition. At Orel, in Russia, to which place theyi ■eat betook themselves, Marie Tarnowska met the laet in her long series of lovers. One evening Kamarowsky invited a friend to dinner. This was Nicolas Naumoff, the •oil of the governor. He was only a boy of twenty, of a dreamy and studious nature, and very chivalrous towards women. His capture was soon effected. From the first moment he saw her, Marie Tarnowska fired him. Something about him—his freshness, his youth, his naivety --also appealed to her. That night he was a«s, and she his. It was at Orel that Prilukoff made a dramatic return. He was tired of waiting, he said. To entreaties he added threats. If Marie Tarnowska did not redeem her promise to come back to him the old terms, he would, he swore, Betray her to Kamarowsky. In fear and despair the wretched woman promised anything, and lent herself to the last infamy she was to commit. • ,In cold-blooded fashion, and utterly Bereft of common gratitude, Marie Tar■owsky undertook the rdle allotted her. The. first step was to enlist the help of Namnoff, and poison his mind against Kamarowsky. It was not difficult, for the infatuated youth was more than ready J® accept anything she told him. She fold him a great deal. She invented a jjj®f list of outrages and insults, and Anted at abominable perversities and •welties to which, she said, she had been impelled to submit. She then played her card. This was to show him a tele£am, which, purporting to have come Ejß Kamarowsky, who had left for MM?** real 'y been written by Pri-

. I regret ever having had any feelings J* yo'i. You are utterly unworthy of affection. T know nil about you and ""Jyacoundrel Nanmoff." On, Nicholas," she sobbed, "if yon love ?*» rid me of this horrible man. He is of you, and threatens our happi-

Nautnoff, beside himself with fury J to kill the sender of stich an in- 1 sJ®|f telegram; and on August 26, the cWltori left Vienna. The countess JJJeyed to Kieff, and the other two njjj* for Venice. murder of Paul Kamarowsky was 3?ytted with dramatic suddennesß. At t on the morning of September Naumoff hired a gondola and J**® the canal. On reaching the villa 2!*"*< loomed man. lie gave his name to "I—*™", and declared that he had jSWUnt business" with the count. ffyHconscions of what this meant, Paul gjjjjjjwaky asked him to come up to his

I m delighted to see you, my dear Aicolas, he exclaimed, holding out his hands in welcome, "What news of Marie?"

They were the last words he uttered, for the next moment Naumoff levelled a revolver and fired a succession of bullets into him. Then, as the other fell, he clambered from the window by a balcony and rushed from the house. Arrest and Trial. It is to the credit of the local police that they had all the conspirators laid by the heels within a few hours of the murder. This, however, was due to their habit of arresting first, and inquiring afterwards. Thus, Naumoff was under lock and key the same evening; and the lawyer and the countess almost as soon. The arrest of Marie Tarnowska was accomplished very simply. On hearing (by telegram from Prilukoff) of Kamarowsky's death, she started for Veuice. As the train reached Vienna, two men waiting on the platform opened the door of her carriage.

"Are you the Countess Tarnowska?" inquired one of them.

"Of course I am," was the haughty response. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

"We are police officers, and require you to come with us."

Before she quite realised what was happening, she found herself being driven off to the, police headquarters. There, almost the first person she saw was Donat Prilukoff, sitting handcuffed in a cell. It was then that Marie Tarnowska understood that the plot had miscarried. Judicial process in Italy is proverbially unhurried. Once people have been clapped behind prison bars, the practice is to let them stop there until it suits the authorities to adopt further measures. Heuce, Marie Tarnowska and her companions did not face a judge and jury in Venice until March 4, 1910.

Nicholas Naumoff was the first of the quartet to be examined. He cut a sorry figure, for the rigours of the imprisonment he had undergone seemed to have reduced him to a nervous wreck. All he could do wag, between his sobs, to declare that the Countess had "infatuated him." and that it. was under her "spell" that he had shot Kamarowsky.

"But why," inquired the judge, evidently unprepared to accept thia theory, "did she want him killed?"

"It was to avenge her honour." "Well, your honour was not concerned." "No, but I was her slave. Also, I was jealous of the Count."

"Why was that?" demanded the Public Prosecutor.

"Because an officer at Orel told me he had once seen him leaving the Countess' bedroom in very scanty attire. He said it was not the correct costume for a mere friendly visit to a lady. This displeased me."

After the wretched Naumoff, weeping and moaning, had gone back to the prisoners' cage, it was the turn of Donat Prilukoff. For ten hours on end he was subjected to a deadly interrogatory. Throughout the long ordeal he showed very little nervousness. What he did show, however, was a fierce vindictivencf.s against the woman whom he considered responsible for his position. Like bin fellow conspirator, he declared that her will had dominated his. "She wag too strong for me," he said. "There was nothing I would not have done at her command. Because she wished it, I left my wife; I robbed my clients; I sacrificed my honour. And once I even tried to kill myself." "Yes," riposted the judge, "and you also tried to kill Count Kamarowsky. That is the matter before us at this moment." Countess on the Rack. Whatever her faults, and they were numerous enough, Marie Tarnowska was certainly inspired with a rare courage. Day after day, for twelve weeks on end, she stood up to the fiercest batteries of the Public Prosecutor, fighting for her life, her liberty and her honour. The long duel between herself and the judge resolved itself into one of thrust and parry. For all his experience of women, Cavaliere Fusinatto met his match in this one. She turned the point of his most subtle questions, and, when they became too awkward, she affected not to hear them. "I will swear that I did not induce Naumoff to commit the murder," she declared emphatically. "Who did, then?" "Prilukoff." / "But," objected the judge, "you knew Xaumoff's reason for going to Venice. Why did you not stop him?" "I thought that at the last moment be would change his mind." "And what were your relations with Kamarowsky and Prilukoff at this period ?" "They were tender." "So it would appear, Madame," wag the dry response. "What, however, is not so clear is why you should want three lovers simultaneously." The jury, with a long string of questions to decide, were absent for three hours and a-half. At seven o'clock in the evening they came back into Court to deliver their verdict. This was that each of the prisoners was guilty. Sentences were at once pronounced. Nicolas Naumoff, the actual murderer, had more leniency shown him than the other conspirators, since he escaped with imprisonment for three years and foui months. This, however, marked the limit of the Court's leniency. Thus, Douat Prilukoff was sentenced to ten years' solitary confinement, and Marie Tarnowska to imprisonment for eight years and four months.

From the cell she had occupied for so many months, Marie Tarnowska was removed to the women's prison at Trani — a great white building on the shores of the Adriatic—to work out her sentence. There, the slim young girl who had queened it as the Countess Tarnowska in a hundred salons, clad in the same coarse and hideous garb as the other detenuti, was merely known as "Number 315."